Hosting giveaways can be really fun but time consuming. When hosting a giveaway there are things you can do to make it more fun for you and the readers that come and enter. If you have any other tips or suggestions feel free to comment!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
{Playful Threads}
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
{Free Blog Buttons - New Years}
New Years Blog Buttons
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Monday, December 20, 2010
{Inglesina Avio Stroller}
I realized very early on the importance of a good stroller. I take mine with me everywhere and have more then one for multiple cars. It is something i never like to be left without. Finding one that does everything i need as well as being safe, stylish and functional can be challenging. In my experience i have found that you get what you pay for.
Friday, December 17, 2010
{The Best Gift You Ever Gave}
SWAGG is a free mobile app (download here) that lets you shop smarter using your mobile phone. Buy, send or swap SWAGG GIFTS and organize your old school plastic gift cards.
For every download of the app between now and Dec. 31, 2010, SWAGG will donate $1 to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) , up to $125,000.
Clever Girls Collective and SWAGG are sending a pair of movie fans to the Sundance Film Festival! Download the SWAGG app and then visit the Ultimate SWAGG Getaway Sweepstakes site to enter to win a trip for two to the Sundance Film Festival. Entry deadline is January 3, 2011, 11:59pm, PST.
For me there are so many things that make a great gift. I have received many wonderful things and have thought about the best gift I ever gave.
I think the best gift I ever gave was to my mother who had been bed ridden and very very ill for years. She was very sick when I was a little girl, with Huntington's Disease. After years of it getting worse, she was confined to a hospital and really had no idea who I or anyone in our family was. I was about 15 at that point. There really was not much for anyone to do but be with her. One day my twin sister and I brought her a stuffed animal to lay in her bed always; we were young girls and thought this would comfort my mother. She had it for years as she slowly deteriorated. We always thought it did indeed comforted her. She died 3 years later. I lived in another state and had to make arrangements. In doing that, the nursing home kind of just threw her things away. It was very sad, this woman had nothing. But one nurse had the toy my sister and I had given my mother. It was wonderful to know that it brought my mother comfort as she died, and I hope she always knew we were there - even if it was just a toy. This toy sits in my daughters room now.
What was the greatest gift you have ever gave? Leave me a comment I would love to hear about it :)
More info about Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C)
http://www.standup2cancer.org/
SWAGG has partnered with non-profit Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). For every download of the app between now and Dec. 31, 2010, SWAGG will donate $1 to SU2C up to $125,000. Awesome, right?! Visit the SU2C site for more info http://www.standup2cancer.org/
More info about the Ultimate SWAGG Getaway Sweepstakes
http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/82357
Clever Girls Collective and SWAGG are sending a lucky pair of movie fans to the Sundance Film Festival! The sweepstakes is offered exclusively through the Clever 1000, and it has a pretty kick butt prize, including:
* 2 night/3 day stay at Yarrow Hotel in Park City Utah (Jan 21 - Jan 23, 2011)
* Ground transportation to and from hotel to airport in Park City, Utah
* Dinner for two at Tao Lounge, including 2 nightclub passes
* All access to The House of SWAGG Gifting Suite
* 2 tickets to a movie premiere on Saturday, January 22nd -- movie tbd
* $4,000 value
Learn more about the coolest new app that revolutionizes the whole shopping, gifting, and gift card-organizing experience and Download the SWAGG app to your iPhone or Droid. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity.
{Rothschild - Quality & Affordable Kids' Coats}
Where we live it gets really cold and a great winter jacket is a must for all 3 of my kids. Finding one that is not only affordable but that what my kids will wear is very important. Both of my girls are very picky so finding a great selection to choose from makes it so much easier for mom. I have found a great place to find stylish, functional durable jackets for all of my kids. Rothschild has a wonderful selection for infants, toddlers, boys and girls. From classic to chic to they have some of the hottest styles. My daughter loves her Silver Snowflakes Puffer Jacket. It has a real cute sporty look to it and also keeps her warm! I love that is was available in many great colors, as i know what its like to find a perfect jacket for them only to hear they don't like the color. We got ours in the Turquoise/Iris/Lime Frost style. She loves the bright fun color of it. It also came with matching fleece hat and scarf. It has great detail and is durable. This jacket is available for $65.00.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
{Crazy for Bargains-Fun Sleepwear for Your Family}
{Amy Michelle Rodeo Drive™ go bebé Bag}
With every baby, comes more things that we have to pack around just to make even the smallest trip go off without disaster. From binkies to diapers, wipes, napkins, toys, bottles and blankets are all things that seem to make it into my bag before an outing. Not to mention all of the things mom needs as well. I found out early the extreme importance of a great diaper bag. I have tried many diaper bags that just do the job of carrying things for baby. But with Amy Michelle bags you get that and so much more. Functional and stylish meet head on with the great designs that they have available. A great bag for me is one that keeps me organized while also looking great.
{Holiday Buttons}
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Happy Blogging!
Holiday Buttons
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Smart and Trendy Moms provides these buttons for your use. We are not responsible for the results of your use. Before you make ANY changes to your blog, it's ALWAYS a good idea to make a backup. See our Disclaimer
Saturday, December 11, 2010
{Snowline - Free Online Game}
My kids frequently come home from school with the names of websites with games that they get to play during free time. There is a free online game at primarygames.com (great site!) that my kids just love to play around this time of year. It's called Snowline. It's kind of a strategy, trial-and-error type game. My kids work together to try to figure it out and they even get along while playing it! lol
The story behind the game is that the reindeer had hiccups and have accidentially scattered presents across Europe. Santa is trying to collect up all the presents while the reindeer are taking the day off to get better. You draw lines of snow with the mouse that help guide Santa to collect all of the presents. Each of the levels have different challenges and obstacles and you need to figure out how to draw the lines to get Santa's sled to move where you want it to.
My kids have a great time redrawing the lines and trying new strategies to help Santa collect the presents. I have fun playing it too. When someone is playing, we usually gather around the computer and try to offer ideas. We laugh when things don't work out quite right, and cheer for Santa as he reaches the finish. It's free online Christmas fun!
My daughter says that I have to include a tip for the "Snowtrain" level in this post because it's a frustrating level. She says once you get the lines drawn, click the "go" button when you see the train because then it's gone when Santa gets there. If you don't time it like that, you can't get past the train. ( It will make sense when you get to that level. :-) )
You can find Snowline here. Happy Holiday Fun!
{Giveaways Ending Soon}
We have a few giveaways ending soon! Be Sure to check them out:)
I hope you enjoyed this post! Never miss a post-Subscribe by Reader or Email! Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting. As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation. See our Disclosure
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
{Snowman Detectives} - Holiday Craft Project
The kids start with the sheet of questions and they answer them about themselves. Then they use the answers to their questions to create a snowman. For example, the question page asks "Have you ever shoveled snow off the walkway?" If you answer Yes, you use the tophat, if you answer No, you put the winter hat on your snowman. You continue through all of the questions using your answers to build you secret code into your snowman. Then, when you are finished, someone else looks at your snowman and uses the Decode Page to see how you answered the questions. For example, they see your snowman is wearing a top hat so they know that you have shoveled snow off a a walkway.
This can be a fun winter project for older kids and younger kids can play too either with parent help or they can just use the printable pieces to color and build a cute snowman without a building in a code.
Here are the Printables:
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Happy Holidays! Please leave me a comment and let me know how this one works for you.
Monday, December 6, 2010
{ALTERNATIVE ABCs and Patrick Hruby Memory Game}+Giveaway
"This is the board book that Soccer Moms run from and Rocker Moms gravitate to".
I love that quote from the AMMO Books website. I have always thought of my self as a rocker mom and knew we would love the ALTERNATIVE ABCs book. It is fun hip and edgy way to teach your kids their abcs. Each and every page is brightly colored with anything but traditional words for learning. This book is defiantly for the cool mom, I think that is why I love it ;) My kids love for me to go over the words with them and I think we all become a little cooler after reading the abcs the ALTERNATIVE way! It is a durable board book that is perfect for the younger ones and really cool for dads to. My husband loves this book and has had an awesome time reading it with our 2 year old. I think my favorite is I for Ink, M for Mohawk, and S is for Skull. This is a great book jammed packed with all the good words for your little rocker to learn! It is available for 14.95 from AMMO Books.{Melissa & Doug Monster Bowling}
Saturday, December 4, 2010
{Scandle Shimmering Lotion Candle}
I have always loved candles and have them all over the house. But I recently found out about a new kind of candle. The Shimmering Lotion Candle from Scandle is so much more than a regular candle and is one that you can also use on your body. I had not ever heard of anything like this, so I was very excited to try it!
The first thing I noticed was the amazing smell that I could smell even before opening the package. I knew this was going to be a real treat. I was able to try the Warm Vanilla Sugar. Wow, yum is all I have to say. It made the whole house smell like I was baking a cake! But that was just the beginning. The candle burns at 2° above body temperature to produce a shimmering, fragrant lotion. I
Friday, December 3, 2010
{Christmas Countdown Activity Chain}
One of the things we love to do at my house is a Christmas Countdown Paper Chain to help countdown the days until Christmas. It’s a neat way to help young kids understand how many days are left until Christmas. We make it an activity chain by putting a “Christmas” activity on the inside of each link – such as have hot chocolate by the fire, bake cookies, sing a Christmas song, etc… The kids look forward each day to tearing off a link and seeing what we will be doing that day.{Pearl Paradise Review} + Giveaway
I love that quote on the Pearl Paradise website; to me it's saying that when you want something of value, it can be difficult to get what you want and you have to go after it. However, when you want pearls, Pearl Paradise makes it easy. They pride themselves on "making the beauty of fine pearls available and affordable to everyone."
Their website offers both cultured and exotic natural pearl jewelry for both men and women and is easy to navigate. You can shop by style, type of pearl, or by price. I love a website that lets you quickly and easily find exactly what you are looking for!
{Johnson’s Baby Oil Blog Tour}
Johnson's Shea & Cocoa Butter line of oil products, include Johnson's Baby Oil, Johnson's Baby Oil Gel and Johnson's Baby Creamy Oil
Giveaway Ending Soon - You Won't Want to Miss Out on This One!
The giveaway for the Foot & Calf Massager (ARV $449.00) by Human Touch ending really soon! It's an awesome massager and it doubles as an ottoman!
Here's the link to the Foot & Calf Massager Giveaway Post Never miss a post-Subscribe by Reader or Email!
Just wanted to post a reminder so that you'd be sure not to miss the chance to get your entries in for this one.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
{Mickey Mote + Mickey’s Number Roundup and Handy Manny: Big Construction Job.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
{Sites We Love - Shelfari}
I wanted to tell you guys about an awesome free website for book lovers called Shelfari. You make your virtual bookshelf which displays books you’ve read and books that you want to read. You can mark your favorites and mark those that you own. It also has a rating and review system. If you check out a lot of books from the library, or loan (read: give) your books to friends, or donate the ones you finish, it is really easy lose track of what you have read. Since I check out most the books I read from the library, I love using Shelfari to keep from loosing track of what I've read.
You can also use Shelfari to find books to read. There is a great online community where you can add "friends" who share the same taste in books that you do and get their opinions and recommendations. There are discussion groups. They also have ranking systems to see what books are currently popular.
I love having a virtual shelf that even shows the cover art of the books. And they have a widget maker that lets you display your bookshelf on your blog or other website. You even get to pick the type of wood that your bookshelf is made out of. How cool is that!
If you love books, Shelfari is definitely worth checking out!
Monday, November 29, 2010
{The Search for Santa Paws on Blu-ray & DVD}
{23 Giveaways Ending Soon! Just a Reminder}
We have 23 giveaways ending really soon and that will wrap up our Holiday Gift Event! We hope if you havent entered that you will get your entries in for some of these wonderful products!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
{Hickory Farms Blog Tour}
{CSN - Elenco Snap Circuits}
While I of course always make sure to get the kids some fun things for Christmas, I also love giving the kids gifts that they can learn from. But giving things are fun AND educational - that's my favorite combination! If your kids enjoy building things or figuring out how things work, I found a great gift idea at CSN stores that I just love. It's the Elenco Snap Circuits Pro Board Game which kids can use to learn about electronics. It's recommended for ages 8 and up.
Friday, November 26, 2010
{"Mom's Sanity Saver Car Box"}
I've never been the best at planning. It never bothered me much until I had kids. When my daughter was little, I started out carrying a diaper bag; but as she got older, I started thinking, "We're only taking a quick trip to the store; I won't need the diaper bag." So as you can imagine, it wasn't long before I found myself out with a wet, hungry toddler with no diapers, no snacks and a 20 minute drive home - total meltdown!
{Amazing Clubs}
I love finding the perfect gifts, but sometimes that can be tough. We have discovered a gift club company that makes it easy. It's called Amazing Clubs. The offer over 30 different clubs with 3, 6, and 12 month memberships and seasonal memberships (or if it's a gift for yourself you can sign up for a month-by-month renewable membership).
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
{Free Blog Buttons - Thanksgiving}
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Happy Blogging!
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Tuesday, November 23, 2010
{Tips for a Happy Holiday}
Keep It Real - To help reduce stress, set realistic expectations (and then be willing to let even those go) or even set your expectations a little bit low to start with. Have you ever gone to see a movie that everyone was raving about and then thought, well that was alright, but not worth all the fuss. Sometimes I think that happens because you’ve heard amazing stuff about it and built it up in your mind so much that it couldn’t possibly live up to the hype. If you build up the most fantastic, amazing day in your mind, it can’t possibly live up. Keep in mind that things won't be perfect; just relax and have fun.
You are Not Martha Stewart - accept this fact and move on. That right there will get rid of a lot of stress and pressure.
Reconsider Tradition - Don’t feel like you have to follow everyone else's ideas for the Holiday. Two kinds of gravy, three kinds of cranberries, and three different kinds of pie is enough to stress anyone out! If you want to start a new tradition or be completely un-traditional, you might want to try it. You probably want to let everyone know in advance on this one especially if you have a conservative family. And hey, it might get you off the hook of ever having to host a family dinner ever again, lol
Be Prepared - Get ready whatever you can ahead of time - clean rooms a day or so in advance (and banish the kids from those rooms), fix desserts salads breads and sides ahead of time. The less you have to worry about, the more you can relax and spend time with your family and friends.
Be Willing to Ask for and/or Accept Help - Have friends and family bring a dish to share and/or games to play - This can make things easier when it isn’t all up to you to provide all the meal and all the entertainment. This makes it as easier on you, and most people really like to help and participate.
Just Roll With It - If turkey takes longer to cook than you thought, your brother arrives late, or the rolls burned, just roll with it - don’t let little things ruin your day, just go with it, keep a sense of humor, and make the best of things.
Keep in mind that the meal does not define you. Your family and friends will love you ( or hate you :-) ) regardless of the meal. You do not have to plan, cook, serve, and clean up perfectly and without any help. Don’t try so hard to impress anyone, just enjoy yourself and keep in mind the things you are thankful for.
Happy Holidays! . . . and good luck ;-)
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